


Tape on a Masterpiece

by Itscalledthedistrict



Series: Shadowhunters Season 3 Drabbles [2]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Heartbreak, Introspection, M/M, Shadowhunters 3x19, Shadowhunters 3x20, Wedding Rings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-29
Updated: 2019-04-29
Packaged: 2020-02-10 00:40:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,038
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18649399
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Itscalledthedistrict/pseuds/Itscalledthedistrict
Summary: What is the significance of a ring?{Set during 3x19 and after 3x20}





	1. Tape Can't Fix a Damaged Masterpiece

One of the first things you learn as a Shadowhunter is that the world keeps turning. 

When Alec was seven, he made his first kill. He and some of the other children went hunting for the first time. Alec knew this was important; he'd be doing something like this for the rest of his life. The other kids just seemed excited to shoot stuff. 

Alec did everything he was told to do: be silent, crouch low, always keep an arrow in hand… 

He stayed still as he saw a swan at the lake. It wasn't swimming around. It loomed over something else, unmoving. When curiosity won over, Alec stood and saw what the swan was staring at. 

It was another swan, covered in blood with an arrow sticking out of its head. 

Alec looked at the other and jumped when he met its gaze. He aimed the arrow. The swan bowed its head and stayed still. Alec shot the arrow right between the swan's eyes and watched it fall right on top of the other. 

When he went back to the site empty handed, the instructor shook his head and told him to do better next time. A girl in his section tapped his shoulder. “I know you shot that swan. Why didn't you bring it?” 

Alec shrugged, “It looked sad. I think it wanted me to.” 

Another boy grimaced. “We weren't supposed to shoot swans, you know. We were only supposed to hunt things that would hurt us.”  

The world kept turning. 

Now, sixteen years later, Alec kind of wishes someone would do the same for him. 

He knew it would be hard to let go of Magnus. He knew it would be painful. However, he didn't know it would be  _ this  _ bad. 

He couldn't sleep properly. He didn't want to eat. He felt like a child with how much time he spent with damp cheeks.  _ By the Angel  _ he felt pathetic. In the back of his mind, he forgave himself: no one could function with only half a heart. 

When Jace came and asked for his help, Alec was grateful. He'd take any distraction he could get. Demons, evil, espionage, how could those remind him of Magnus? No, he knew how to do his job blind. It was easy to shut down and go through the motions. 

Alec looked down and flexed his hand. The Seelie ring on his finger was invisible, yet still felt unfamiliar. He made it visible and twisted the ring around his index finger with his thumb.  

Seelie rings weren't elaborate. They weren't made to stand out. Alec used to think he'd want something like that if he got married. Something like a simple, gold band. Now he’s partial to the ones that have one or two gems. Maybe a small design. Engraving would be a possibility. 

Alec takes off the Seelie ring for a second and puts it on his ring finger. He stares at it and bites his lip. 

He can't imagine wearing a ring like this all the time. Maybe if it were nicer, with a simple design and a couple of small sapphires. Maybe if it had a significant phrase etched on the inside. Maybe if it were put on him by the person he loves most in the world. Maybe if there had been a wedding. 

Alec quickly puts the ring back on his index finger and huffs. He has no right to think like that.  _ He  _ was the one to break off their relationship.  _ He's  _ the reason they aren't getting married. If he were more selfish, Alec would have told Asmodeus to fuck off and asked Magnus for his hand right then. 

… But he knows that wouldn't have been fair to his love. Alec could give him all the riches in the world, but could never give him what he needs. Magnus said it himself: he feels like nothing without his powers. 

No amount of tape can fix a damaged masterpiece. 

Now, if all went according to plan, Magnus had them back by now. He's probably cursing him and wondering why the  _ hell  _ he did this. He will hurt for a while, just like Alec. The difference is that he'll eventually be able to move on. The world keeps turning, after all. Nothing, not the greatest joys nor the deepest sorrows, can halt the force of gravity. 

Alec thinks of the swan he shot when he was seven. He now knows the extent of its pain. He understands why it acted that way; nothing can function with only a fraction of its heart. 

Alec bows his head and twists the ring again.  _ “Jace, are you there?”  _

_ “Yeah, Alec…”  _

Clary and Jonathan are still out there. There’s still a mission to complete.

The world keeps turning. 


	2. Glue Will Hold it Together, Though

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It’s an unfamiliar weight. That didn’t mean it wasn’t pleasant.

It’s an unfamiliar weight, Alec has to admit. That didn’t mean it wasn’t pleasant.

He looks down again to see it’s  _there_. It’s not a figment of his imagination. This isn’t a dream. No, the intricate, engraved, silver ring resting on his finger is  _his_.

He wears it because he’s engaged. He’s engaged to the man he loves more than anything. He’ll wear this ring with pride for the rest of his life.

Alec looks at his engagement band and twists it with his thumb. It’s weight is a good kind of unfamiliar. A promise. They’ll love each other forever, until death do them part.

But… but the world keeps turning. Just because he’s engaged now doesn’t mean the world’s horrors vanished. Jonathan is still out there.  _Magnus_  is still out there. His love, once again, sacrificed himself for the benefit of others. Part of Alec wants him to stop putting himself out there like that. The other knows that’s pointless. This is  _Magnus Bane_  he’s talking about; no one, not even Alec, can tell him what to do.

They’re well suited in that way.

“Are you sure?” Izzy asks for the third time.

Alec thinks about the swan once again. It chose death over living without its other half. Its great love.

Nothing can function with only a fraction of its heart.

Alec twists his ring again. “Magnus sacrificed everything to save us. And I’m going to get him back.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AHHHHHHHH

**Author's Note:**

> I AM NOT READY FOR 3X20 PEOPLE


End file.
